Safety cranking device for internal-combustion motors



April 26,1927. L. OULTON SAFETY CRANKING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION MQTORS Filed Mail 25, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l 2 MA /T TUE/Evy:

A ril 26 1927.

p D. L. OULTON SAFETY CRANKING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION MOTORS s Sheets-Sheet %,,.MW W j a W/ Q\\\\\\a Filed May 25. 1925 I 703:. 7- ue M5 6 April 26, 1927. 1,626,209

D. LJOULTON SAFETY CRANKING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL CUMBUSTI ON MOTORS Filed May 25, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 f ury y- Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

ilhiiTD STTES rarsur DANIEL Ii. GULTON, F EVERETT, MASSACEUEETTS, ASSIGNOR TD GULTQIY MANUFAC- TUBING CORPORATION, A CORPQR-ATION OF VERMONT.

SAFETY CRANKING DEVICE FOR II\ TER1\TALCOIVIBUSTION MOTORS.

Application filed May 25, 1925.

My invention relates to a device designed to afford protection to the operator from the effects of back-firing of the motor, and it has been the special object of my invention to make a device which shall be strong, simple, and sure in operation and which may be cheaply and easily manufactured.

My device may be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in to which 7 Fig. 1 is a front View of my device attached to a motor car of which a part of the front of the frame and radiator are shown.

Fig. 2 is a front view of my device with the handle thereof partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side view of my device.

Fig. 4 is a side View partly in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a front view with the front plate, shown in Fig. i and Fig. 6. removed.

6 is a back view of the frontplate.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of Fig. 4, viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View on line 8-8 of Fig. 4, viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View on line 99 of Fi 41-, viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line 10-10 of Fig. 5 showing the locking plug out of operative position.

11 is a view similar to that of Fig. 10 except that the parts are relatively placed to show the locking position of the locking plug with respect thereto.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, A is a motor drive shaft provided with an enlarged hub a integral therewith, having a black flange a also integral therewith (see Fig. 4). The hub a is slightly enlarged in its portion adjacent to said flange a and is surrounded in this portion by a free but closely fitting ring B having features of construction to be later described. A heavier ring C is freely but closely fitted on the hub a, this ringC having an annular flange 0 butting against the enlarged portion of the hub (a and partially embraced 50 by the ring B. This ring C also has details of construction to be later described. The rings B and C are retained on the hub a by means of annular plate l) which forms an outer flange of the huh (I. The plate has an annular flange (Z which embraces the end Serial No. 82,640.

of the drive shaft iii. and is made fast thereto by means of the pin E which passes through holes in flange (Z and. shaft A.

An annular housing F freely surrounds the ring E and adjacent flange (1?. there being a slight shoulder on the side of the annular housin; adjacent to the flange a to prevent movement of the housing past the flange (see Fig.2. l). The housing F has a downwardly extending lug 7 which is provided with a hole through which passes a bolt G which enters a hole in the fixed frame H of the automobile and is secured therein by means of nut g.

The ring C is surrounded by an annular housing I which overlaps and freely emraces on one side the housing F and on the other side the plate D. This ring C is provided with shoulders on its inner side wherebyit retained against lateral displacement by plate D and housing F. Thus .both housings F and I are retained between flange 0, and the opposite flange-forming plate D. A crank 2' is integral with housing I and is provided with a handle 5 7 The ring C is provided with a plurality of cylindrical holes (best illustrated in 7). aligned as cords with respect to the circular periphery of the ring C. These holes 0 each contain a ball 0 fitting rather loosely therein. l-Vhen the holes 0 are in such position that gravity tends to eject the balls 0 therefrom the balls 0 will slightly enter shallow pockets i in the inner surface of annular casino 1. These pockets 2' are preferably twice as numerous as the holes 0 so that a slight relative movement of casing I with respect to ring; C will cause one or more of balls 0 to become seated in an opposite pocket 2'' which is shaped to fit the surface of the ball 0 Extending through ring C in horizontal planes but with anti-clockwise slant from back to front. and equidistant from the centre of 21x10 A are a plurality of cylindrical holes (i in which are slidably fitted plungers J. the fcrivard ends I of which are somewhat beveled and rounded and the opposite ends of which are fiat surfaces. The forward ends 7' are adapted. when the plungers J are thrust forward. to enter cor responding pockets (Z in the inner surface of annular plate D. These pockets (1 have surfaces contoured to closely engage the 2H.- vanced side of the ends 7' of the plungers J. The back surface of ring C is provided with extensions (see Figs. 10 and 11), which are angularly set to support the rear of plungers J.

The flat ends of plungers J are seated each upon one of a series of inclined surfaces Z) (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 10) upon the front face of ring B. These surfaces Z) are much longer than the diameter of plungers J and form a series of recesses having curved back walls 71 against which may contact corresponding extensions 0 of the ring C. These recesses fori'ned by inclined surfaces 6 and back walls 6 are deep enough to perinit the plungers J to retire far enough so that their rounded ends j are wholly out of contact with pockets (Z Ring B is provided with a series of cylindrical. holes I)" (see Fig. 9) of similar arrangement to those holes 0 in ring C In these holes 6 are loosely fitted balls 6 each of which is normally thrust outward by a coil spring 6 mounted in hole 6" and seated against the bottom of the hole. Hence, balls 6 always bear upon the inner surface of housing F The operation of my device is as follows z-To crank the motor crank is rotated with a clockwise motion. This will impart a like motion to ring C through the locking action of such of balls 0 as have been caused by gravity to enter pockets 1? in housing I The continued clockwise of ring C will cause the rear ends of plunger-s J to slide along the adjacent slanting surfaces Z) of ring B thus projecting the plungers J until each enters a pocket (i in plate D, (see Fig. 11) thus locking plate D and ring B together so thateach is rotated through the driving force of ring C operating upon the plungers J mounted therein. Thus, through the power applied to plate D which is fast on the shaft A the shaft A is rotated to start the motor. Upon the normal starting of the motor the plate D. instead of being a driven part, becomes a driving part with like clockwise motion. The ring 0 does not become a driven part as might be supposed as the immediate suspension of cranking force causes ring C to lag slightly in its clockwise motion thus permitting the rearward ends of plungers J to run down thru the inclined surfaces 7) of ring B. thereby relieving rings C and I) of the rotation force of plate D.

Let us suppose now that bacl' -fii'ing of the motor occurs during the cranking operation. This will impart an anti-clockwise motion to the shaft A and plate D. This will force the retirement of the plungers J as ring R becomes stationary in the presence of this rotative influence thereon through plungers J. as the balls 72 are rolled outward into loclting engagement with the stationary housing F. The stopping of ring I: permits plu'n gers J to slide back on their respective inclined supports during the back rotation of ring C into the position shown in Fig. 10, which backward sliding is forced by the curved sides of the pockets (Z upon the rounded ends of plungersJ as the plate D is driven by the motor in an anti-clockwise direction, thus releasing the plungers J from contact with plate I) and freeing the parts back of plate D from its infhience and eliminating all anticlockwise rotative force upon such parts and therefore back kick in the crank 6- is prevented. The. initial back kick of the system before plungers J have fully retired is so absorbed by the yielding frictional influences upon plungers J that no undue violence thereof reaches the hand ofthe operator.

It will be readily understood that if shaft A. instead of being the main shaft of the motor, is connected medium of the usual spur clutch, a sliding movement of shaft A must be permitted in which event nut 72 would not be used on bolt H and, instead of bolt H a pin would be used which pin would be loosely embraced by either lug 7 or frame H, so that the safety crank and its shaft might be-slid forward or back while maintaining Ithe locked relation of housing F with respect to the frame I-I. JVith such construction housing I and ring C may well be unitary as the normal starting of the motor in the direction of cranking movement will cause a severance of the connection of shaft A with the motor and hence no one-way clutch means with respect'to ring C andhousing I are necessary. Nevertheless, I prefer to have the one-way clutch relationship between parts G and I as this permits rocking of crank 71 to bring it into the most convenient position for exerting the cranking force thereon.

Although I have found itmost convenient and inexpensive to employthe well known Iorton type of one-way clutch between ring B and housing F because locking engagement is seldom here effected and locking strains are never great, nevertheless, it will be readily apparent that my stronger type of one-way clutch provided for ring C and housing I may be substituted.

I claim:

1. In a device of'the character specified the combination of two rotatable members having opposed surfaces provided with inset portions, and a separate rotatable connecting means adapted to enter said inset portions and lock said rotatable members by positive engagement therewith in a manner'whereby they may be rotated together in one direction of rotation, said connecting means being adapted to become disengaged automatically from one of. said rotatable members upon the o posite rotation of one of said rotatable members.

therewith through the 2. In a device of the character specified the combination of a rotatable one-way clutch member provided with an inset portion having an inclined surface, a second r0- tatable member provided with a pocket, a

third rotatable member arrai'lged to receive cranking force mounted. between said rotatable members, said third rotatable member being provided with a slanting hole, a plunge-r slidably mounted in said hole and arranged to hear at one end upon said inclined surface and to be projected by sliding contact therewith until its opposite end enters the pocket in said second rotatable member, thus forming a driving connection between said rotatable members.

3. In a device of the character specified the combination of a hub, a ring rotatably mounted on said hub and provided with an inset portion having a slantlng surface, an annular casing surrounding said ring, means whereby said casing is retained in fixed position, a one-way clutch means between said ring and said casing, a plate fast on said hub and provided with a pocket, a cranking means rotatably mounted on said hub between said ring and said plate, said cranking means being provided with a slanting hole, and a plunger freely mounted within said hole arranged to hear at one end of said. slanting surface on the inset portion of said ring and to be projected by sliding contact therewith so that its opposite end may enter said hole in said plate.

DANIEL L. OULTON. 

